Corning blasts Miners in season finale

It's a good thing the paint in the lanes in Corning High's gymnasium was dry Friday, because if it wasn't, the soles of the Cardinals' shoes would be sporting a fresh coat of black.

Corning High (22-3, 6-2 NAL) made a living in the key against Yreka, while the offensive mine for the visitors stayed dark in a 55-23 Cardinal victory.

With the win, the Cardinals finished in a first-place tie with Central Valley for the NAL league championship.

With the exception of free throws, all of Corning's first-half points came in the key as the Cardinals cruised to a 29-6 halftime lead.

A 14-0 Corning run in the first quarter helped stake them to an 18-4 advantage, as the Cardinals' full-court press forced the Miners into turnover after turnover, which were then converted into quick hoops.

"We've been using (the press) off and on, and you'll be seeing it here and there," said Corning coach Bill Mache. And Yreka saw entirely too much of it for their liking.

Chayce Maday scored six of his team-leading 12 points in the opening frame, and was joined by Nick Hoag, who also netted six of his 11 points in the same period.

The Cardinals put more distance between themselves and their visitors in the second quarter, behind five more points from Hoag, and four of Michael Shoemaker's 10.

The play that elicited the biggest "oohs" and "aahs" from the large hometown crowd took place in the second quarter, when Ryan Holland threw a no-look two-hand pass backwards over his head to Shoemaker underneath, who went up for the easy deuce.

With Corning enjoying such a sizable lead at the break, coach Mache was able to substitute frequently in the second half, resulting in nine different players shooting their way into the scoring column.

Ezekiel Rodriguez and Justin Pye each added six points, while Holland and Trace Garrett both made four-point contributions.

"We had a lot of energy and a big crowd," said Mache of the contest that not only served as the school's basketball Homecoming but also Senior Night. "With Homecoming there are a lot of land mines in terms of distractions, it comes down to how you handle them and maintain your focus," the coach added.

Holland, who along with Rodriguez and Nick Bergen were recognized for their last regular-season game as seniors, said of the showing, "We wanted to get off on a good note, and to get rolling for the playoffs. We came in with the press and scored a lot of points out of the gate."

The Cardinals owned the home glass, out-rebounding their visitors 42-18. Holland's nine led the way, with Hoag securing six and Shoemaker coming down with five.

Tyler Johnson led Yreka with 13 points.

Corning drew the second seed in the Division IV playoffs, and with it a first-round bye. The Cardinals will host the winner of the matchup between No. 7 Anderson and 10th-seeded Lassen on Thursday.

CONTACT Craig Purcell at 824-1036 or cpurcell@tcnpress.com.